Officers report difficulty purchasing items

Officers serving in the New Orleans Police Department are having difficulty obtaining the uniforms and equipment they need – just weeks after they were told to shop at a supply store that won a lucrative City contract.

The WDSU I-Team reported in late June that “Signal 26,” which does business under the company name “Code 3,” had secured the deal with the low bid following the issuance of an RFP – or Request for Proposal.

The I-Team noted that Code 3 was not an authorized dealer, however, of the manufacturers that produce some of the most commonly used police gear. Several of those manufacturers sent letters to the City advising that the company did not have a formal relationship with the suppliers, and that warranties on any products sold would not be honored, if they could be obtained at all.

Another local firm sued to have the contract invalidated, and while an initial ruling favored Code 3, the matter is now under appeal.

Rachel Hurst, who owns Code 3, says that legal battle is the reason for the shortage of some items. She told WDSU the legal wrangling delayed implementation of the contract – and the orders.

"These are stacks of NOPD orders, and this is just three days," she said as she showed the I-Team the backlog. "And many of these are shirts, so the shirts will not get here fast enough to keep up with the demand."

A spokesperson for the Fraternal Order of Police, which objected to the contract, confirmed that the organization is receiving complaints from members who have been unable to purchase their gear.

The contract was put out for bid when the Landrieu Administration changed the way it handles the outfitting of officers. In the past, officers received a cash stipend and used it to purchase shirts, pants, raincoats and other items with that allowance. Now, each is given a credit that must be used at Code 3.

American Police Equipment, another local retailer, received much of the NOPD business over the past four decades. Its owner bid on the contract, but lost – and that prompted the lawsuit.

A.P.E. cited alleged irregularities in the Signal 26/Code 3 bid. Among the concerns reported by the I-Team, the spouse of an NOPD officer was, until recently, a partner with Hurst.

Local laws bar the spouses of city employees, such as an officer, from doing business with City Hall.

Hurst told WDSU she has since bought out her partner's stake in the company.